Live A Little
by Lovely-Madness-13
Summary: After one too many promises broken, Aelita finally decides to do something about that over-worked Jeremie. With a little help from her friends, of course. J/A fluff.
1. Chapter 1

"All the other kids with the-"  
"Odd?"  
"-pumped up kicks better run-"  
"Odd, turn it down!"  
"faster than my gun, all the other-  
"Dude! Odd!"  
"-faster than my laser arrows!"  
"Odd Della-Robbera, if you don't turn that music down this second, I will never give you my helping of mash potatoes ever again!"  
Silence.  
Odd Della-Robbera turned around and grinned at the three people staring at him from the doorway. Jeremie still had his fingers stuffed in his ears, while Ulrich and Aelita had made a race to see who could get to Odd's CD player first to turn it off. Neither won, of course, since Odd had shut it off the second he had heard Jeremie's threat. How could anyone survive without mash potatoes, he didn't know. But it was a good offer. His grinned widened, and he relaxed against the side of his bed.  
"Jeez, man, are you trying to keep the whole dorm awake?" Ulrich asked, glaring at his roommate as he and the other two moved in and shut the door. "We've been banging on the door for at least five minutes." He grinned at the pink-haired girl who was now standing next to Jeremie. "Good to know we have a lock pick in the group."  
Aelita blushed, then grinned. "I learned from the best,' she said, and winked. "Yumi's brother."  
Ulrich made a mock shudder as the other three laughed. "There's a fooze-ball challenge going on in the wreak room in five minutes," he continued, and smirked at his best friend. "You gonna get your butt whooped again?"  
Odd put his hands on his hips and stuck his nose in the air. "For your information, you three, I should have won fair and square last time."  
"Yeah, right," Aelita retorted, raising an eyebrow. "You tried to trip up Jeremie twice." She looked at her friend, and smiled. "You are going to play, right Jeremie?"  
For a moment, the young man shifted nervously and fidgeted with his glasses. "Well, I uh…" He hated disappointing her, but he had so much work to do! There was the anti-virus, the fight against X.A.N.A, plus school work.  
"Come on, Einstein, live a little!" Odd chimed in, going over to shove Jeremie lightly on the shoulder. He grinned slyly at him. "If you win, maybe Princess could kiss you for defending her honor."  
"Odd!' Jeremie turned beet red and Aelita went as pink as her hair. Ulrich and Odd sniggered at their reaction.  
"Never mind," Ulrich said after a second, still grinning. "Let's go, before Herve and Sissy try to take it over."  
Odd nodded and the two walked out. Aelita hesitated, looking from Jeremie to the door and back again. She winced, seeing the sad look on his face. He worked so hard, put so much into everything. Her heart fell, knowing there was little she could do to convince him.  
"Well," Jeremie said after a minute. "I should get back." Aelita's eyes were downcast, but she smiled brightly at him. The young genius wanted to hit himself for disappointing her again, but what else could he do? "Maybe…maybe I'll come down in a little while to see how the game is going," he added, and was rewarded with seeing Aelita's face light up. His heart stopped, as it always did for a few moments, when she smiled at him like that.  
"That would be wonderful!" Beaming still, Aelita kissed him lightly on the cheek and slipped out of the room.

The first game had ended, and Aelita had ducked away from the madness. The boys were absolutely scary sometimes, she thought wryly, shaking her head. Watching the game from a safe distance, her mind started to drift, as it often did, toward a certain blue-eyed genius. Sighing, she rested her chin on her hands. It had been more than three years since the start of the war against X.A.N.A, and the pressure on their group had only grown. Sometimes she worried- no, she knew- that Jeremie tried to shoulder it all himself. Her heart hurt, wishing she could help him somehow. There was more to life than research and war. Of only there was a way to get Jeremie to see that as well.  
"Why the long face, Princess?"  
Aelita jumped about a foot, and looked up to see Odd standing over her, still panting from winning against Ulrich and another boy who Aelita didn't know. She smiled a little at her friend, then shrugged. Not swayed by her non-committal reaction, Odd grinned and sat down on the couch next to her.  
"Let me guess," he said, leaning back and stroking his chin as if he had a goatee. "Do your thoughts start with a J and end with e, and happen to be blond and really, really stressed-out?"  
Aelita blushed, and smiled wryly. Of course Odd would know. Was it really that obvious to the others that she cared about Jeremie? Why then, did Jeremie himself, not ever seem to notice when she tried, and failed, to show him how she felt about him. "Odd, you're so happy all the time," she started, then winced at how stupid the statement had sounded. "I mean…I want to help Jeremie, I don't know-" she gestured vaguely, and Odd grinned.  
"Let loose?"  
Aelita nodded. "Yes, thank you. I don't know how to make him happy, and I don't want him to worry so much-"  
Odd held up a finger. "Pardon me, Princess, but I think you do make him happy." Aelita blushed a little and Odd's smile widened. "Einstein shoulders crap he shouldn't. You do too," he added, raising his eyebrows at her. "But it's not as extreme. Jeremie…hm…" He tapped his chin for a second, then his face lit up. "I got it!" He snapped his fingers. "Listen to me, Princess, and Einstein will be the happiest man alive."  
Aelita raised her eyebrows at him. "Oh, really?" Knowing Odd, a part of her was starting to regret asking him for advice. Oh, well.  
Odd nodded, his purple eyes wide with mischief and excitement. "Oh, yeah. Okay, here's what you do-"


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Jeremie's alarm went off far too soon for his liking. Groaning, he rolled over, reaching for the alarm clock.  
THUD  
"Ow!" He had rolled once too far, and ended up rolling into thin air. Scowling at the floor he now laid on, Jeremie pushed himself up, hunting blindly for his glasses. He had stayed up until past 4 in the morning last night, working on Aelita's anti-virus, and still he had gotten no where.  
Aelita. "Oh, crap." He had forgotten that he had promised that he'd go and watch the tournament last night with her. Another broken promise. Calling himself many kinds of stupid, Jeremie found his glasses, and stood up, wincing as long-still muscles pulled. How could he ever prove himself worthy to her if he couldn't even keep a single promise? Although the thought made his heart twist into knots, he wouldn't blame her if she was angry at him, if she had given up considering him as anything more than a friend. If she ever had in the first place.  
"I am so pathetic."  
Knock. Knock.  
Jeremie jumped about a foot, and spun clumsily around to face the door. Who on earth-?  
"Come in?"  
After a moment, the door open, and Aelita poked her head in. Seeing him standing in the middle of the room, his hair still mussed and his glasses askew, Aelita blushed bright and her heart flipped a little at the sight of him.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, J-Jeremie," she started, and Jeremie realized he had yet to put a shirt on. Turning at least three shades of red, he grabbed his sweater and shoved it over his head. Turning back to her, he tried to smile normally.  
"Good morning," he answered, hoping Aelita hadn't noticed the slew of pillows still scattered from when he fell out of bed. "You're up early."  
Aelita cocked her head to one side, then blushed and pressed her fingers together nervously. Jeremie raised his eyebrows, watching her.  
"I…I-h, I wanted to come and get you for breakfast," she said after a second, and looked back up at him and smiled. "You've skipped it since last Thursday, so it's time make a change." Jeremie blinked, then blushed a little, glancing back at the computer. He had hoped to get a little more experimenting in before class started at 8:30, but...he looked back at Aelita. She was smiling shyly, rolling slowly back and forth on the tips and heels of her feet. When she noticed he was watching her, her gaze met his, and for second, anything and everything stopped. It was so hard to breathe.  
"Jeremie?"  
He shook himself out of his reverie and blushed. "Uh, just give me a second, I'll meet you down there." Aelita grinned, and to his slight surprise, shook her head.  
"I was wondering if you'd walk down with me," she said, and held out a hand to him. She winked. "So I can make sure you don't make a run for it." Jeremie turned red all the way up to his ears.  
"I- I, uh guess. Okay." Aelita beamed at him and Jeremie couldn't help but smile back.  
A few minutes later, the two emerged into the brightly lit cafeteria. Although it was still quite early for students to be up, many of the benches were full. Jeremie, who's hand was still locked in Aelita's, felt a little dizzy for a moment. Was it the sound and the light? He wondered wryly as he sat down next to her. He looked at her, and felt his heart flip when she smiled. No. He knew exactly what it was. Aelita always had the ability to make his brain spin.  
Aelita hesitated, then reluctantly let go of Jeremie's hand. So far, according to the very strange and confusing list Odd had given her last night, she was doing okay. She had gotten him to come down to breakfast, and tried to hint at the fact- she blushed a little at the thought- that she wanted to be around him, without being obvious. Unsure now what to do, she remember one of the things Odd had told her.  
"Einstein has a routine. It's fun to mess it up. If you do it, I don't think he'll mind. Suggest something different that he wouldn't do."  
Aelita hesitated, glancing around. Something Jeremie usually wouldn't do. Her eyes fell on the food- lunch for breakfast this morning- being laid out, and she got an idea. She winced, knowing it made little sense, but she knew she had to try. Smiling, she stood up, and got a tray, knowing Jeremie would follow her. Glancing back, she noticed he was fidgeting again. She sighed.  
"Are you alright, Jeremie?" She asked softly, putting a hand over his. Jeremie jumped and blushed. Aelita's own skin tingled at the contact, but she tried to ignore it.  
"I-uh..I just wish I had gotten more work done last night," he admitted after a second. Aelita's heart squeezed and for a moment, what she had thought about the young genius last night forced its way to her lips.  
"Jeremie, you work so hard already," she told him, catching his gaze with hers. "Don't beat yourself up over it. It won't do you any good." She blushed a little when Jeremie looked at her, surprised, but didn't look away. It was the truth, after all, and he needed to hear it.  
"Aelita, I-"  
"What'd ya like today, dears?"  
Both of them jumped as the cafeteria worker addressed them, grinning. "Uh..."  
"Just the usual," Jeremie said quickly, hurring through the line as fast he could. Aelita watched him. Odd was right. He really did have routine. The same old thing, day after day. Never a change. Aelita smiled slightly.  
Oh, no you don't, Jeremie Belpolis.  
She beamed at Rosie, the server. "The special, please." Rosie's eyebrows went up, but she sighed, nodded, and gave the pink-haired girl her portion.  
A few seconds later, when Aelita slid back into her seat, Jeremie looked over at her plate absently mindedly. His eyebrows went up like a shoot.  
"Uh, Aelita, I think you got the wrong serving."  
Aelita shook her head, grinning. "Nope. I thought it'd be nice to try something new."  
"But that's the-"  
Aelita's grin widened, and she winked at him. "I know. The hot and spicy mac-n'-cheese."  
Jeremie's face went red at the wicked glint her eye. "Uh yeah...and what about the mac-n'-cheese?"  
Aelita couldn't help but laugh. Goodness, he was adorable. Watching him, she stabbed a bite of the pasta onto her fork, then held it out to him.  
"Say 'ah'."  
Jeremie's face turned so red he looked like tomato that had gone blond. "W-what?"  
Aelita grinned and blushed, trying not to laugh. "You should try a bite, Jeremie. It's good, I swear."  
He eyed her warily, still quite red. "Says the girl who hasn't tried any yet."  
Aelita's grin just widened. "Please, Jeremie? Live a little."  
Jeremie opened his mouth to refuse, then made the mistake of meeting her gaze. His will power melted, as it so often did around her. Praying he wouldn't make an idiot out of himself, Jeremie hesitated, then leaned forward and bit the pasta she offered him.  
Aelita's eyes danced. "Good boy."  
Jeremie blushed, then turned even more red when the heat from the pasta scalded his tongue. He coughed, his eyes watering. "That was not f-fair!" He choked, as Aelita obviously struggled between concern and amusement. Forgetting his shyness for a moment, he reached over with his own fork and stabbed another piece of the pasta. He held it out to her, ignoring the nerves that started to yell at him for being so forward toward her.  
"S-say ah, Aelita," he said, and watched as Aelita's face went quite pink. Her eyes widened, but she smiled.  
"Yes, sir," she retorted softly, meeting his gaze, and leaned forward to take the offered food. Jeremie gulped, wondering if she could hear how loud his heart was pounding. He watched her face as she leaned backing, swallowing. Her eyes popped wide and she blinked rapidly.  
"That really is quite good," she breathed after a moment. "I didn't realize." She beamed at him. "Thanks, Jeremie!'  
Jeremie, now slightly stunned, tried to smile normally. "Uh, no problem." He watched her, then unable to stop himself, reached out to wipe away a tiny piece of cheese that still sat on her lower lip. Aelita turned as he moved, and for a split second, his finger tip skimmed her mouth, lingering there for a moment.  
Jeremie, realizing what he was doing, jerked his hand back as if he had been burned. "Oh...sorry, I-"  
Aelita turned very pink, but licked her lips slightly and smiled. "No problem." Watching him, her smile widened. "No problem at all."


	3. Chapter 3

"What's no problem?"  
Aelita and Jeremie both jumped and turned to see Odd and Ulrich walking over to them. Odd raised an eyebrow at Aelita, who blushed a tiny bit and smiled.  
"We're having fun with breakfast this morning," she informed them, and a comprehending grin lit Odd's face.  
"Fun? Einstein? Never!"  
Jeremie turned to mock-glare at the purple-clad blond boy. "I can have fun, Odd. Occasionally."  
Ulrich sniggered as he sat down in the spot across from Jeremie. "Yeah, occasionally."  
Jeremie rolled his eyes. "Talking about fun," he started, remembering he wanted to apologize for not going to the tournament last night, "who won at fooze ball?"  
Odd and Ulrich blinked, then, surprisingly, Odd's face went quite pink and Ulrich burst out laughing. Next to him, Aelita had also started giggling. Jeremie, nonplussed, stared from one face the next.  
"Am I missing something?"  
Aelita grinned at him, then leaned closer. "Sissy beat Odd," she whispered, and Jeremie wasn't quite sure which phased him more- the statement or the fact her lips brushed his ear when she whispered. Reeling his brain back in, he looked at her, dumbfounded.  
"What?"  
Aelita nodded gleefully, but put her finger to her lips. "We shouldn't rub it in," she whispered. Jeremie nodded, but couldn't help smiling.  
"I wish I could've seen that," he muttered back as Ulrich elbowed his roommate to get him to stop moping.  
Aelita smiled. "See, you should've come down," she replied, and Jeremie winced.  
"Yeah, about that, Aelita, I'm sorr-"  
Aelita shook her head, and, after a second of hesitation, put her finger lightly against his lips to silence him. She turned pink, but Jeremie went fuchsia. "Instead of apologizing," she told him, still smiling. "How about you just come down next time?" She winked. "If I have to physically pull you out of that computer chair, I'll do it." Her heart danced happily when the fading blush on Jeremie's cheeks came to full force. Taking her finger away, she tried to ignore the little warm tingles on her skin from where she had touched him.  
He was so easy to distract, she thought as she went back to eating her breakfast. If only he knew how easily he distracted her. She smiled wryly. If only he could realize it. Glancing him, she realized he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. Blushing, she smiled at him and looked away. If only.

This was turning out, in Jeremie's opinion, to be one of the strangest days of his life. First Aelita acted so- he blushed, and shook his head. He didn't even know how describe how she was acting. It was ridiculous to think that she was flirting with him, he knew, but the little he knew on the subject was telling him that's what was happening.  
"And how stupid is that," he muttered, only half paying attention in art history class a few hours later. "As if someone like her would ever even think about liking someone like me."  
She admitted to it once, whispered a little voice in his head. Remember? Jeremie sighed, ignoring that statement. That was years ago, he knew, and things had changed. They had all changed. She wasn't a naïve little girl out of a computer any more, and he didn't blame her at all if she no longer saw him in the way she had then. How ever she had seen him. He shrugged, and tried to pay attention.  
"Musha was known for painting many lovely female characters over his character, many inspired by real life figures in the dramas or society of his times. Name me one of these women."  
There was a lot of muttering. A row away, Aelita's hand shot up. Jeremie smiled, watching her. Brilliant and beautiful.  
"Sarah Bernhart," she was saying, her voice clear and musical as always. "She was Musha's muse of sorts, and he illustrated a number of her posters for the plays she did." The teacher beamed at her, and moved on. Aelita, smiling happily now, turned her head back for a moment, and glanced at Jeremie. He was looking up at the board, but his gaze slid over towards hers after a second. Aelita smiled, and Jeremie grinned back, mouthing "good job". She blushed, her smile widening, and turned back as the teacher asked another question.  
The class was almost finished when she heard it. After first she thought it was her imagination. Or maybe it was the heater in the school. Sometimes that made weird little noises. But static? Frowning, Aelita glanced around at the class. Everything seemed normal. The students were packing up, the teacher reminding them about an essay due in two weeks. No one else seemed to-  
An all too-familiar beeping sounded from a few feet away, and Aelita's heart sank as she glanced over. Jeremie was pulling his laptop out of its bag. He opened the lid, looked, winced and put it back. He turned, and she nodded.  
X.A.N.A. was back again.  
The bell rang. Aelita hurried to his side, already pulling out her cell phone to call Yumi, as well as Odd and Ulrich, were currently skipping art history to take a math tutoring class. "It doesn't look like X.A.N.A.'s tried anything on Earth yet," Jeremie muttered, glancing around them as they moved out into the open hallway. Aelita hesitated, then nodded.  
"We need to be careful though," she told him. "It could be nothing, but I thought I heard something strange back in the class room. It sounded like static or white noise from a radio." Jeremie blinked, then nodded.  
"Okay, then. We might need to watch out for something electricity based." He smiled tightly at her. "Good job, Aelita." Aelita blushed at the unexpected praise, especially when she felt she really hadn't done much to earn it. Confused, she rang Yumi and others and told them the story.  
"Great!" Odd yelled into Ulrich cell phone. "We get to skip more tutoring!" Aelita rolled her eyes and hung up the phone.  
"They'll meet us in the factory."  
Jeremie nodded, and opened his mouth-  
And a crack of thunder blasted over their heads, so loud the ground shook slightly under their feet. Aelita screamed and jumped, grabbing Jeremie's hand. Jeremie yelped, automatically putting an arm around her. Within seconds, lightening flashed over their heads.  
"Lets go," Aelita shouted over the sound. "Before someone get's struck!" Jeremie nodded, and they set off at a run.


	4. Chapter 4

"This thunderstorm has got to be X.A.N.A.'s doing," Yumi panted as she leaned against a scanner before stepping in. "We rarely get them here, and nothing like-" her words were cut off by another muffled boom. "Nothing like that," she finished and Ulrich and Odd nodded.  
"You guys go," Aelita said, shivering slightly. The thunder sounded as if it was getting closer. "I'll catch you up." Her friends nodded, and Aelita heard Jeremie the familiar commands into the computer. His voice echoed over the loud speaker.  
"Jeremie," she said softly as she stepped into the scanner herself. "Be careful. If you even think you hear the sound of static in the factory, get out of that computer room."  
Silence. "Jeremie?"  
"I know, Aelita. Don't worry about me. You be careful too." Aelita smiled, and nodded.  
"I will."  
With that, she heard him put the commands in for her own virtualization. Despite everything, she felt that rush of fear and adrenaline she always felt when going back to Lyoko. It was a virtual nightmare, but it had been her home for so long. Digital air surrounded her as she felt herself be virtualized. Her eyes slid open, and she dropped, landing among the silent mist and hills of the mountain region.  
Her fellow warriors grinned at her. "Ready to go, Princess?" Ulrich asked her, smirking and stretching.  
Aelita smiled. "I'm always ready."  
"Good, because you've got quite the welcoming committee," Jeremie called to them. "At least ten hornets, and more coming. I'm sending you your vehicles. Aelita, you know what to do." Aelita grinned. She flicked her hand over the star bracelet on her wrist, then sailed up into the air on virtual white and pink wings.  
The hornets- nasty things, buzzing and hissing though the air at breakneck speed- noticed her, and three broke away to chase her. Aelita giggled, feeling the rush she had become used to.  
"Hello, boys," She stopped in mid air. "Can't keep away from me, could you?" Humming softly, she felt the energy come to her, and watched as a small pink ball of static and energy filled her palm. She grinned at the oncoming insects.  
"Here's a kiss from me," she called, and let the energy field fly. It hit one of the hornets square in the face, and it blew up. From below, she could hear the cheers of her friends.  
"Awesome, Princess!" Odd was yelling as he blew up a hornet of his own, and did a loop-de-loop on his overboard. Aelita laughed, shaking her head.  
"Ahhh!"  
Jeremie's voice, tight with fear and pain, echoed around them. Aelita gasped, and almost lost her power over her wings.  
"Jeremie?" No answer, and panic filled her heart. "Jeremie!"  
"Let's hurry," Yumi shouted, also sounding nervous. "Let's stop the attack before it gets worse."  
Aelita could barely think for the terror that Jeremie could be severely hurt. Just then, pain blasted at the small of her back, and Aelita screamed, loosing control of her wings. Yumi swooped towards her on the over wing, and Aelita caught the edge, barely.  
"Thanks," she panted as she pulled herself up.  
"You won't be thanking me just yet,' Yumi said suddenly, her voice full of dread. "Look what's waiting for us at the tower."  
Aelita peeked around Yumi, and winced. "Oh, glorious. Flotsom and Jetsom."  
Yumi snorted a laugh in spite of herself. "I'm assuming William's Flotsom?"  
Aelita smiled wryly. "You're the one he likes. You guess." Yumi made a face.  
"In that case, can he be Ursula?"  
Aelita laughed and nodded. "You and me can go after the pretty boy," she said, and nodded to the boys. "Could you two play keep away with the Skyphazoa for a minute or too?"  
Ulrich grinned. "Sure, Princess."  
"Calamari time!" Odd shouted and sped towards the massive jellyfish that twisted and turned gracefully next to its possessed master.  
Aelita and Yumi rolled their eyes, and zoomed towards their enemy.  
"Hello, William," they called in unison. Yumi hopped off the overwing while Aelita took to the air. William turned his blank, black eyes on them. Yumi smirked.  
"Did you really miss us that much?"  
"Aelita, look out!"  
Aelita spun, and just barely missed getting picked up by the Skyphazoa. She sent a glare towards Odd and Ulrich, who were running towards her.  
"I thought you said you'd play keep away!"  
'That stupid jellyfish is way too good at keeping away from us!" Odd yelled, trying to hit the thing with another of his laser arrows. The Skyphazoa dodged it easily, and moved toward Aelita.  
She didn't have time for this, Aelita thought as she backed up, petrified. Jeremie was no where to be heard, and she had to get to the tower before the factory got electrocuted- with Jeremie in it. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. It was risky, but…  
Live a little. Hadn't she been telling Jeremie that all morning?  
Her eyes narrowed, and she took to the air.  
"Aelita?"  
Relief filled her heart when Jeremie's voice echoed around Lyoko. "Jeremie! What happened?"  
"The storms really bad now, but I'm okay. The elevator's down, but I got the super computer on back-up power, so we're alright for the moment. If you guys hurry, we might be able to get out of this mess without a return to the past. But, Aelita, what are you doing?"  
Aelita smiled slightly. "Living a little." Jeremie started to protest, but she ignored him. Instead, she set her eyes on the ugly, graceful monster that had tried to put it's tentacles on her way too many times for her liking. Her eyes narrowed, and with a shout, she dived straight at the thing.  
"Aelita!"  
Tentacles reached out to grab her, but missed as she whizzed by its head at breakneck speed. She turned sharply, and flew up in a tight corkscrew around the thing. She felt the numb sides of the clear arms bounce harmlessly off her, and felt a ray of hope. Maybe this would work. She went faster, and slide away from another tentacle as she skimmed over the ground.  
The Skyphazoa let out a scream of obvious fury, and Aelita turned back around.  
"You really are all wrapped up in yourself, you horrible monster," she called, watching the Skyphazoa struggle to untangle its many limbs from around itself. "How does it feel to be trapped?"  
She heard a cheer behind her, and saw the black mist of William's power fade as he was pushed into the digital sea. Her heart pounding, Aelita landed, and sprinted into the tower as fast as she could.

"I still say that was one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Odd was saying a little while later as they climbed up the ladder to get to the top floor of the factory. The elevator was still out, but Jeremie knew it would start working again as soon as the power came back on.  
Aelita, who was walking next to him, blushed a little. "It was just an idea," she replied, shaking her head. "I'm amazed it worked."  
Yumi watched her, smiling. "It was pretty risky, and you haven't done stuff like that in a while." Aelita blushed more and glanced at Jeremie.  
"I guess not." She shrugged, smiling slightly. "I've just realized that…well, it's fun to shake things up a little bit." Her smile turned into a smirk for a moment. 'The Skyphazoa certainly wasn't expecting it."  
"Neither was Einstein," Ulrich added, grinning. "I think he was about to have a heart attack when you started flying straight at that thing." Jeremie turned red, and nodded.  
"Yeah, but it was a good idea," he told her, and smiled. Aelita's blush got brighter. "You were amazing."  
"Awwwww," Odd called, and both of them blushed as the other three laughed.  
"Oh, great!" They had reached the top of the factory steps now, and Ulrich was standing there, glaring. "It's raining!"  
"Don't worry," Yumi said, nudging him. "It's a just little water. We can go through the tunnels."  
Jeremie looked at Aelita. "Let's hurry, before the teachers realize we're gone." Aelita hesitated, then smiled at him.  
"Um, Jeremie, do you think, if you…" she blushed. "Could we walk through town on the way back?"  
Jeremie blinked at her, surprised. "I, uh…"  
"Come on, Einstien, live a little," Odd called as he and Ulrich lifted the top off the ladder that lead down into the tunnels. Jeremie hesitated, then looked at Aelita.  
"I don't have an umbrella," he told her, and Aelita's smile widened.  
"That's okay," she answered, and to his surprise, ran out into the downpour. She threw her arms out and turned her face up to the rain. "It feels wonderful to be kissed by the sky."  
Not for the first time that day, Jeremie's heart stopped for a second at the sight of her. The rain fell over her, making it seem as if she as if she was glowing slightly. She turned and smiled at him, holding out a hand.  
"Jeremie, will you come and dance in the rain with me?"  
Unable to breathe, unable and unwilling to deny her anything, Jeremie moved out into the storm, and took her hand. Aelita laughed, and threw her arms around him.  
Jeremie, stunned, hugged her back as the rain fell. Looking at her as he pulled back slightly, his heart stuttered to a halt again. God, she was beautiful. Rain drops clung to her eye lashes and flickered down her face. She beamed up at him.  
"Doesn't it feel wonderful, Jeremie?"  
It took him a minute to understand what she was saying. "Y-yeah," he managed, but all he could feel was the warmth of her arms still around his shoulders and her body mere inches away from his.  
"Jeremie…" Aelita's smile faded slightly. "I know you're so worried about the virus and the war, and everything, but I hope you can let yourself go a little, now and then. Like now." She smiled again. "Is it so hard to take a break, especially when you deserve one?  
Jeremie shook his head. "I don't deserve one, though, I haven't-"  
Aelita put a finger to his lips. "Yes, you do," she retorted, smiling warmly. "Why won't you let me help you be happy?"  
Jeremie blinked at her. Happy? "Aelita, I am happy," he started, but she shook her head.  
"No, you're not," she told him, her voice soft and serious. Her eyes seemed to shine with an inner light. "There's circles of darkness here." She traced under his eyes with a gentle finger, tickling his skin like the rain drops. "And lines of worry." She let her fingers skim over his cheek. "You've done so much for everyone, including me. You deserve to be happy, to take a risk and live a little." She smiled at him again, suddenly nervous. She hadn't meant to say all that. It had just come out. She blushed, and started to pull back.  
"Live a little." Jeremie muttered, and she raised her gaze to his again. Her breath caught in her throat at the bright heat that suddenly turned his eyes to blue neon. "Aelita, you…"  
She smiled, unsure why her heart was pounding so hard, why it was suddenly so hard to breathe. Then, to her surprise, Jeremie traced a rain drop that had drifted down her cheek a moment ago. "Take a risk, huh?" His voice was different, now, Aelita realized numbly. Lower and warmer. Her heart skipped a beat. What was this?  
"Yes, I guess that's-"  
Anything else she was about to say was cut off by the feeling of warm pressure against her mouth. Aelita gasped at the sensation, her eyes wide. Heat spiraled into her heart, yet she felt it all the way to her toes. Her mind went blank and her eyes slid closed.  
After a second, or an eternity, Jeremie pulled away. The warmth was still in his eyes, but now there was also nervousness, there was fear. Did he just make a really, really stupid mistake?  
Aelita, breathless, stared up at him, her lips, her own body, tingling still from the kiss.  
"Jeremie…"  
He smiled nervously at her, his face going bright red. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't of-"  
"Don't you dare apologize for doing that," Aelita whispered, smiling brilliantly. She felt the rain still coursing down her face, and felt his fingers, gently, gingerly, do the same. A laugh bubbled up in her throat, and she threw her arms around his neck.  
"A-Aelita!" Jeremie backed up, almost losing his balance. His blush was bright, by the neon of his eyes was even stronger. "What are you-"  
Aelita smiled, happiness singing in her heart. "I'm just living a little," she murmured, and kissed him back.


End file.
